November 19
Events *1493 - Christopher Columbus goes ashore on an island he first saw the day before. He names it San Juan Bautista (later renamed Puerto Rico). *1794 - The United States and the Kingdom of Great Britain sign Jay's Treaty, which attempts to clear up some of the lingering problems left over from the American Revolutionary War. *1816 - Warsaw University is established. *1847 - The second Canadian railway line, the Montreal and Lachine Railway, is opened. *1850 - Alfred Lord Tennyson becomes Poet Laureate, a position he held until his death in 1892. *1863 - American Civil War: U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address at the military cemetery dedication ceremony at Gettysburg. *1881 - A meteorite lands near the village of Großliebenthal, southwest of Odessa. *1916 - Samuel Goldwyn and Edgar Selwyn establish Goldwyn Pictures (the company later became one of the most successful independent filmmakers). *1924 - In Los Angeles, famous silent film director Thomas Ince ("The Father of the Western") dies of a heart attack in his bed (beliefs still persist that he was murdered). *1941 - World War II: [[Wikipedia:Battle between HMAS Sydney and HSK Kormoran|Battle between HMAS Sydney and HSK Kormoran]]. The two ships sink each other off the coast of Western Australia, with the loss of 645 Australians and about 77 German seamen. *1942 - World War II: Battle of Stalingrad - Soviet Union forces under General Georgy Zhukov launch the Operation Uranus counterattacks at Stalingrad, turning the tide of the battle in the USSR's favor. *1944 - World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt announces the 6th War Loan Drive, aimed at selling $14 billion USD in war bonds to help pay for the war effort. *1946 - Afghanistan, Iceland and Sweden join the United Nations. *1950 - US General Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes supreme commander of NATO-Europe *1955 - National Review publishes its first issue. *1959 - Ford Motor Company announces the discontinuation of the unpopular Edsel. *1961 - Michael Rockefeller, son of New York governor Nelson Rockefeller, disappears in the jungles near Atsj, Papua New Guinea. *1967 - The establishment of TVB, the first wireless commercial television station in Hong Kong. *1969 - Apollo program: Apollo 12 astronauts Pete Conrad and Alan Bean land at Oceanus Procellarum ("Ocean of Storms") and become the third and fourth humans to walk on the Moon. *1970 - The IBM 1620 is withdrawn from the market. *1976 - Jaime Ornelas Camacho takes office as the first President of the Regional Government of Madeira, Portugal. *1977 - Egyptian President Anwar Sadat becomes the first Arab leader to officially visit Israel, when he meets with Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin and speaks before the Knesset in Jerusalem, seeking a permanent peace settlement. * 1977 - Transportes Aereos Portugueses Boeing 727 crashes in Madeira islands killing 130. *1979 - Iran hostage crisis: Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini orders the release of 13 female and black American hostages being held at the US Embassy in Tehran. *1984 - A series of explosions at the PEMEX petroleum storage facility at San Juan Ixhuatepec in Mexico City ignites a major fire and kills about 500 people. *1985 - Cold War: In Geneva, U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev meet for the first time. * 1985 - Pennzoil wins a $10.53 billion USD verdict against Texaco, in the largest civil verdict in the history of the United States, stemming from Texaco executing a contract to buy Getty Oil after Pennzoil had entered into an unsigned, yet still binding, buyout contract with Getty. *1990 - Pop group Milli Vanilli are stripped of their Grammy Award because the duo did not sing at all on the Girl You Know It’s True album. Session musicians had provided all the vocals. *1994 - In Great Britain, the first National Lottery draw is held. A £1 ticket gave a one-in-14-million chance of correctly guessing the winning six out of 49 numbers. *1996 - The case of the Port Arthur massacre comes to trial. * 1996 - Lt. Gen. Maurice Baril of Canada arrives in Africa to lead a multi-national policing force in Zaire. *1997 - In Des Moines, Bobbi McCaughey gives birth to septuplets in the second known case where all seven babies were born alive. They would go on to become the first set of septuplets to survive infancy, with all seven alive in 2007. *1998 - Lewinsky scandal: The United States House of Representatives Judiciary Committee begins impeachment hearings against U.S. President Bill Clinton. * 1998 - Vincent van Gogh's Portrait of the Artist Without Beard sells at auction for $71.5 million USD. *1999 - Shenzhou 1: The People's Republic of China launches its first Shenzhou spacecraft. * 1999 - In Istanbul, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ends a two-day summit by calling for a political settlement in Chechnya and adopting a Charter for European Security. Births *1464 - Emperor Go-Kashiwabara of Japan (d. 1526) *1563 - Robert Sidney, English statesman (d. 1626) *1597 - Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, Electress of Bavaria (d. 1660) *1600 - King Charles I of England (d. 1649) * 1600 - Leo Aitzema, Dutch historian and statesman (d. 1669) *1617 - Eustache Le Sueur, French painter (d. 1655) *1700 - Jean-Antoine Nollet, French abbot and physicist (d. 1770) *1711 - Mikhail Lomonosov, Russian writer and polymath (d. 1765) *1722 - Leopold Auenbrugger, Austrian physician (d. 1809) * 1722 - Benjamin Chew, Chief Justice of colonial Pennsylvania (d. 1810) *1752 - George Rogers Clark, American military leader (d. 1818) *1802 - Solomon Foot, American politician (d. 1866) *1805 - Ferdinand de Lesseps, French diplomat and Suez Canal engineer (d. 1894) *1831 - James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States (d. 1881) *1833 - Wilhelm Dilthey, German philosopher (d. 1911) *1834 - Georg Hermann Quincke, German physicist (d. 1924) *1835 - Rani Lakshmi Bai, Indian Queen (d. 1858) *1843 - Richard Avenarius, German philosopher (d. 1896) *1859 - Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov, Russian composer (d. 1935) *1862 - Billy Sunday, American evangelist (d. 1935) *1875 - Mikhail I. Kalinin, President of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet (d. 1946) *1876 - Tatyana Alexeyevna Afanasyeva, Russian/Dutch mathematician (d. 1964) *1883 - Ned Sparks, Canadian actor (d. 1957) *1887 - James B. Sumner, American chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate (d. 1955) *1888 - José Raúl Capablanca, Cuban chess player (d. 1942) *1889 - Clifton Webb, American actor (d. 1966) *1893 - René Voisin, French classical trumpet player (d. 1952) *1895 - Louise Dahl-Wolfe, American photographer (d. 1989) *1896 - Georgy Zhukov, Russian general (d. 1974) *1897 - Quentin Roosevelt, son of United States President Theodore Roosevelt (d. 1918) *1898 - Arthur R. von Hippel, German-born physicist (d. 2003) *1899 - Allen Tate, American poet and critic (d. 1979) *1900 - Mikhail Lavrentyev, Russian scientist (d. 1980) * 1900 - Anna Seghers, German writer (d. 1983) * 1900 - Bunny Ahearne, Irish ice hockey promoter (d. 1985) *1905 - Tommy Dorsey, American bandleader (d. 1956) *1907 - Jack Schaefer, American author (d. 1991) *1909 - Peter Drucker, American management theorist (d. 2005) *1910 - Adrian Conan Doyle, son of Arthur Conan Doyle (d. 1970) *1912 - George Emil Palade, Romanian cell biologist, Nobel laureate *1915 - Earl Wilbur Sutherland Jr., American physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1974) *1917 - Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India (d. 1984) *1919 - Alan Young, British-born American actor (Mister Ed) * 1919 - Gillo Pontecorvo, Italian film director (d. 2006) *1920 - Gene Tierney, American actress (d. 1991) *1921 - Roy Campanella, baseball player (d. 1993) * 1921 - Peter Ruckman, American Baptist minister *1922 - Yuri Knorosov, Russian epigrapher (d. 1999) * 1922 - Salil Chowdhury, Indian music composer, poet, writer, dramatist and filmmaker (d. 1995) *1924 - William Russell, British actor *1926 - Jeane Kirkpatrick, U. S. Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 2006) *1929 - Slavko Avsenik, Slovenian musician * 1929 - Norman Cantor, Canadian medieval scholar (d. 2004) *1933 - Larry King, American TV personality * 1933 - Jerry Sheindlin, American jurist; husband of Judith Sheindlin *1935 - Rashad Khalifa, Egyptian imam (d. 1990) * 1935 - Jack Welch, American businessman *1936 - Dick Cavett, American talk show host * 1936 - Yuan T. Lee, Taiwanese-born chemist, Nobel Prize laureate *1938 - Ted Turner, American businessman *1939 - Tom Harkin, American politician *1941 - Dan Haggerty, American actor * 1941 - Tommy Thompson, former U.S. Governor of Wisconsin *1942 - Calvin Klein, American clothing designer * 1942 - Sharon Olds, American poet *1943 - Aurelio Monteagudo, Cuban-born Major League Baseball player (d. 1990) * 1943 - Fred Lipsius, American musician (Blood) *1944 - Dennis Hull, National Hockey League player * 1944 - Agnes Baltsa, Greek mezzo-soprano *1945 - Bobby Tolan, former baseball player *1947 - Bob Boone, baseball player and manager * 1947 - Lamar S. Smith, American politician *1949 - Nigel Bennett, English actor *1949 - Ahmad Rashad, American football player and sportscaster *1951 - Zeenat Aman, Indian actress * 1951 - Lord Falconer of Thoroton, British lawyer and politician *1953 - Robert Beltran, American actor * 1953 - Tom Villard, American actor (d. 1994) *1954 - Kathleen Quinlan, American actress *1956 - Ann Curry, American journalist * 1956 - Glynnis O'Connor, American actress *1957 - Ofra Haza, Israeli singer (d. 2000) *1958 - Michael Wilbon, sports analyst *1958 - Terrence "T.C." Carson, American actor *1959 - Allison Janney, American actress *1960 - Elizabeth Hulette, American professional wrestling manager (d. 2003) * 1960 - Matt Sorum, American musician (Velvet Revolver) *1961 - Meg Ryan, American actress *1962 - Jodie Foster, American actress *1963 - Terry Farrell, American actress * 1963 - Jon Potter, British field hockey player * 1963 - Zsuzsanna Jánosi, Hungarian fencer *1965 - Laurent Blanc, French footballer * 1965 - Sean Hughes, Irish comedian *1966 - Gail Devers, American athlete * 1966 - Jason Scott Lee, American actor * 1966 - Rocco DiSpirito, American chef *1968 - Karina, Venezuelan singer * 1969 - Erika Alexander, American actress * 1969 - Philippe Adams, Belgian racing driver *1970 - Justin Chancellor, English bassist (Tool) *1971 - Alice Peacock, American folk singer * 1971 - Jeremy McGrath, American motorcycle racer *1972 - Sandrine Holt, Canadian actress *1973 - Ryukishi07, Japanese mystery writer * 1973 - Savion Glover, American dancer and choreographer * 1973 - Billy Currington, American singer and songwriter *1975 - Sushmita Sen, Indian beauty queen and actress *1976 - Jun Shibata, Japanese singer and songwriter * 1976 - Petr Sýkora, Czech ice hockey player * 1976 - Benny Vansteelant, Belgian duathlete (d. 2007) * 1976 - Stylianos Venetidis, Greek footballer *1977 - Kerri Strug, American gymnast *1978 - Věra Pospíšilová-Cechlová, Czech athlete * 1978 - Matt Dusk, Canadian jazz musician / vocalist *1979 - Ryan Howard, American baseball player * 1979 - Larry Johnson, American football player * 1979 - Leam Richardson, English footballer *1980 - Adele Silva, English actress *1983 - Chandra Crawford, Canadian cross-country skier *1985 - Chris Eagles, English footballer *1988 - Patrick Kane, American ice hockey player *1997 - McCaughey septuplets, world's first surviving set of septuplets Deaths * 498 - Pope Anastasius II *1478 - Emperor Baeda Maryam of Ethiopia (b. 1448) *1492 - Jami, Persian poet (b. 1414) *1557 - Bona Sforza, Queen of Sigismund I of Poland (b. 1494) *1577 - Matsunaga Hisahide, Japanese warlord (b. 1510) *1630 - Johann Schein, German composer (b. 1586) *1649 - Caspar Schoppe, German scholar (b. 1576) *1665 - Nicolas Poussin, French painter (b. 1594) *1672 - John Wilkins, English Bishop of Chester (b. 1614) *1682 - Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Royalist commander in the English Civil War (b. 1619) *1692 - Thomas Shadwell, English poet and playwright *1723 - Antoine Nompar de Caumont, French courtier and soldier (b. 1632) *1772 - William Nelson, American colonial governor of Virginia (b. 1711) *1773 - James FitzGerald, Irish politician (b. 1722) *1785 - Bernard de Bury, French composer (b. 1720) *1798 - Wolfe Tone, Irish republican (b. 1763) *1804 - Pietro Guglielmi, Italian composer (b. 1728) *1810 - Jean-Georges Noverre, French dancer and ballet master (b. 1725) *1822 - Johann Georg Tralles, German mathematician and physicist (b. 1763) *1828 - Franz Schubert, Austrian composer (b. 1797) *1850 - Richard Mentor Johnson, American politician (b. 1780) *1868 - Ivane Andronikashvili, Georgian general (b. 1798) *1883 - William Siemens, German engineer (b. 1823) *1887 - Emma Lazarus, American poet (b. 1849) *1897 - William Seymour Tyler, American educator and historian (b. 1810). *1915 - Joe Hill, American labor activist (executed) (b. 1879) *1924 - Thomas Ince, American film director (b. 1882) *1931 - Xu Zhimo, Chinese poet (b. 1897) *1938 - Lev Shestov, Russian philosopher (b. 1866) *1942 - Bruno Schulz, Polish writer and painter (shot) (b. 1892) *1959 - Joseph Charbonneau, archbishop of Montreal (b. 1892) *1960 - Phyllis Haver, American actress (b. 1899) *1967 - Charles J. Watters, US Army chaplain, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1927) *1974 - George Brunies, American musician (b. 1902) *1975 - Roger D. Branigin, American politician (b. 1902) *1976 - Sir Basil Spence, British architect (b. 1907) *1983 - Tom Evans, English bass guitarist (Badfinger) (b. 1947) *1985 - Stepin Fetchit, American actor and dancer (b. 1907) *1988 - Christina Onassis, daughter of billionaire Aristotle Onassis (b. 1950) *1990 - Sun Li-jen, Chinese general (b. 1900) *1992 - Bobby Russell, American songwriter (b. 1941) * 1992 - Diane Varsi, American actress (b. 1938) *1998 - Ted Fujita, Japanese-born American meteorologist (b. 1920) * 1998 - Alan J. Pakula, American film director (b. 1928) *2001 - Marcelle Ferron, Quebec painter and stained glass artist (b. 1924) *2003 - Ian Geoghegan, Australian racing driver (b. 1940) *2004 - Piet Esser, Dutch sculptor (b. 1914) * 2004 - Helmut Griem, German actor (b. 1932) * 2004 - Terry Melcher, American musician and record producer (b. 1942) * 2004 - John Robert Vane, British pharmacologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1927) *2005 - Erik Balling, Danish TV and film director (b. 1924) *2007 - Mike Gregory, English rugby league footballer (b. 1964) * 2007 - Dick Wilson, American actor (b. 1916) Holidays and observances *Brazil - Flag Day *Mali - Liberation Day *Puerto Rico - Discovery of Puerto Rico (1493) *United States - Equal Opportunity Day *Norway - The Liberation of the Sami People of the coast *United Arab Emirates - Pilgrimage *Trinidad and Tobago - International Men's Day *Feast of the Prophet Obadiah *World - World Toilet Day *India - International Men's Day *St. Elizabeth of Hungary - Traditional Catholic Calendar. External links * BBC: On This Day * * On This Day in Canada ---- Category:November